1. The Americas
Chapter 8

2. Sec. 2 Early Civilization in Mesoamerica
Mesoamerica=Mexico and Central America

3. Olmec Culture Discovered in 1940s but appeared by 1200s
found in Central Mexico
their oldest city was San Lorenzo, contained pyramids and stone monuments
Artisans carved a series of colossal stone heads, probably to represent their gods or rulers

4. City of Teotihuacan- “Place of the Gods”
Arose around 250 BC and collapsed around AD 800
Located about 30 miles northeast of MX City in a fertile valley
It had a populations of 200,000/ Most were farmers
Pyramid of the Sun
(over 200ft)

5. Maya & the Toltec
Yucatán Peninsula- civilization of the Maya (AD )
Sophisticated civilization in the America
Maya built splendid temples, pyramids and developed a calendar
Around 800 the Maya civilization began to decline due to invasion, internal revolt, or volcanic eruption

6. Political and Social Structures
Civilization composed of city-state descended from the Gods
Most people were peasants farmers
Lived on tiny plots or on traced hills in the highlands
Houses was similar to the Anazasi
Chocolate was used as a beverage of the high class
Itzamna was the supreme god.

7. Maya created the hieroglyphs or pictures
The Spanish believed the writing were evil and of no value.
Calendar “Long Count” was based in a belief in cycles of creation and destruction
According to them, our world was create in 3114 BC and it schedule to complete its cycle on Dec. 23 AD 2012.

8. Used two different systems for measuring time
Based on solar calendar of 365 days, divided into 18 month of 20 days each, w/ extra 5 days at the end
Sacred calendar of 260 days divided into 13 weeks of 20 days

9. Toltec
After the Mayas, the Toltec Empire emerged. (northern and central Mexico)
A.D
The center of empire was at Tula
Pop. b/w 40,000-60, ,000 living the surrounding territories.
They were warrior people

10. Main God for the Toltec was Quetzalcoatl
Main God for the Toltec was Quetzalcoatl. The God of learning and culture.
God of wind./ The feathered serpent.
(quetzal= green feathered bird & coatl= serpent).

11. Quetzalcoatl

12. One of the greatest Toltec leaders was Topiltzin, (high priest of Quetzalcoatl).
Topiltzin and his followers went into exile (trouble w/ other religious groups) but vowed to return to Tula to reclaim his throne.
Topiltzin-Quetzalcoatl.
Decline in around AD 1125 as a result of fighting among different groups (yrs later the city was burned)

13. The Aztec
Origins are uncertain, around 12th century began a migration that brought them to Valley of MX.
Established Tenochtitlan

14. Legend
When the Aztecs arrived in the Valley of MX, other people drove them into a snake-infested region
They survived, strengthened by their belief in a sign that would come from their god of war and of the sun, Huitzilopochtli
The god told them that when they saw an eagle perched on a cactus growing out of a rock, their journey ended.
At islands of Lake of Texcoco – the legend came true

16. Build houses, public buildings & temples

17. Government Consisted in:
Political Structures
Authoritarian – the monarch had all the power
Government Consisted in:
A council of lords & gov’t officials assisted ruler

18. Society Structure
Males in the elite society could held gov’t positions.
They could select a career in the military service, the gov’t bureaucracy (administration) or the priesthood.
As a reward, received large estates from the gov’t.

19. The rest of the population consisted in:
commoners
- most were farmers
- built chinampas (canals that provided water for their crops)
indentured workers (landless workers contracted to work on the nobles’ estates)
slaves

20. Women could not own and inherit property and enter into contracts
Work in the home, raise children …etc

21. Religion Believed in many gods
Ometeotl (Supreme God)- represented all powerful forces of the heavens
Based on a belief in an unending struggle b/w the forces of good and evil
This struggle created and destroyed 4 world or suns (living in the 5th sun)
This will end w/ a earthquake
To postpone they practice sacrifices to honor Huitzilopochtli

22. Culture
Their religion had a significant effect of their art/ architecture
The center was a sacred district, dominated by pyramids
At the top was a platform and an altar dedicated to the gods and used for human sacrifices.

24. Sec. 3 Early Civilizations in South America
The Chavin and Nazca Cultures:
Caral= oldest major city in the Supe River valley of Peru
Inhabitants created an irrigation system
Around 900 BC the Chavin in the coastal regions of Peru and Ecuador built a temple with stone.
It was surrounded by 2 pyramids and stone figures depicting different gods.
Unknown reasons decline in 200 bc

25. Chavin temple

26. Nazca Appeared in Peru 200-600BC Built no great temples
May have practice their religion outdoors, as suggested by ancient formations known as Nazca Lines- drawings they created that can only be seen from the air

28. Moche
Around 300 bc –developed near the pacific coast near border of Ecuador
Major urban center arouse with irrigated field
Corn, peanuts, potatoes, and cotton
They had no written language
Paintings and pottery portray warriors, prisoners, and sacrificial victims.

29. Incas (“ruler”)
After the collapse of the Moche civilization in the 8th century AD , the Incas empire lasted for 300 yrs
A small community in the area of Cuzco (located at 11,000 feet in the mountains of Southern Peru)
Under the leadership of Pachacuti, they launched a campaign of conquest
The entire region was under Inca control

30. Political Structures
Extended boundaries from Ecuador to central Chile and the edge of the Amazon basin.
Population of 12 million people
Their state was built on war, so all young men were required to served in the army

31. Cities
Pachacuti- divided the empire into 4 quarters each ruled by a governor
Then were divided into provinces, each ruled by a governor
Each were supposed to contain about 10,000 residents
At the top of the system was an emperor, believed to be descended by Inti (sun god)

32. Labor
All Incas were responsible for labor service for several weeks a yrs
Built a road from the border of Colombia – Santiago, Chile (24,800 miles)
2 major roadways extended in north-south directions, one through the Andes and the other along the coast, with connecting routs b/w them.

34. Social Structures
Men and women were required to select a marriage partner from within their own social group\after marriage, women were expected to care for the children and to weave cloth
Some girls were chosen to serve as priestesses in temples

35. Building and Culture Were great builders, best engineers
Built roads and monuments
Had not writing system but developed a system of knotted strings called quipu

36. Machu Picchu- elevation 8,000 feet, built of a lofty mountain hilltop surrounded by mountain peaks far above the Urubamba River
A long stairway leads to an elegant stone known as “hitching post of the sun”
May have been used as solar observatory